The Art Of Persuasion
by lost in corde meo
Summary: "I'll have you know, Uchiha, that I can persuade anyone into giving me anything at any time." In which, Sakura learns of consequences of opening her mouth.


_**A/N: **Hello again! No major changes to speak of, I've just gone through and tied up some loose ends, corrected some grammar, etc._

_I would also like to not that the sequel to this 'The Art Of Enactment' will be done in a matter of two or three days and will be uploaded shortly :)_

_My first non-massacre, so I know that it probably won't be that great. But this was really just written for my own enjoyment so, yeah..._

_Anyhoo, I hope you guys like it just a teensy bit :)_

**Title:**_ The Art Of Persuasion_

**Summary:**_ "I'll have you know, Uchiha, that I can persuade anyone into giving me anything at any time." In which, Sakura learns of consequences of opening her mouth._

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**_

(Insert Page Break Here)

-The Art Of Persuasion-

It was going to be hot today, Haruno Sakura noted absently as she walked her usual course to the Uchiha training grounds. The pinkette set her pace slowly, completely content to stroll all the way to her destination, seeing as she was going to be early anyways.

It had been almost three months since she, along with Naruto and Sasuke, had all graduated to Jonin rank. Although the Uchiha Clan did not necessarily like the fact that Sasuke was still teamed with the Godaime's apprentice and the nine tailed beast's container, Team Seven had somehow managed to stick together like glue over the years.

Where they had gotten the strength to withstand the blazing trials of the political ranks and power trying to pull them apart, Sakura would never know, and she didn't question it either.

She was just happy that the hostilities between Konoha and the Uchihas _still_ hadn't erupted into something big, despite the dangerous undercurrents she was started to detect between them. It was obvious that the Uchihas didn't like to leadership of Konoha, but to break away from them would be an outright request for war.

And though Sakura was certain that some people within Konoha, and the Uchiha Clan alike, lusted for bloodshed, it was also apparent that most did _not _wish to enter into unnecessary conflict, and were doing all they could to keep this rickety alliance together.

And despite all the political fighting going on, Team Seven remained together, trying to keep what semblance of normalcy they could, intact. _Trying_ to just ignore the open hostilities flying around between their leaders and high powers.

They trained everyday together at the Uchiha grounds, Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke, that is. Simply because it was more private, and well, the Uchiha elders always had a hissy-fit when an Uchiha trained outside their grounds while developing jutsus and such.

It had taken the Uchihas quite some time to get used to the fact that she and Naruto _would _be around. It was almost as though they thought they were spying on them or something. Which, in a sense, Sakura could understand, every Clan was protective of their secret techniques, and what with the danger of war in the air, who wouldn't be a little cautious? But she would have thought they'd have learned to at least trust _them,_ if not Konoha, over the years.

Sakura snorted out loud just thinking about all the crap they had put Sasuke through. The young woman slowly shook her head, a small frown adorning her lips as she continued to muse on the subject.

Uchihas... It wasn't as though she despised them or anything, but their high and mighty attitudes never failed to set her teeth grinding. Now of course there was the exception of Sasuke, but he still got on her nerves.

Uchiha Shisui was _different_ than all the other Uchihas she had ever met, but that didn't mean that he couldn't be the one to strike at her last nerve, if anything he was the one who usually set her off.

Mikoto was someone that Sakura liked immensely, and it wasn't just her cooking. Sasuke's mother was an extremely likable person, despite the fact that she got a little intense when it came to duties and such. But after growing up in the Uchiha Clan, who wouldn't be?

Everyone else within the category of 'Uchiha' could go jump in a pit as far as Sakura was concerned.

The young woman reached the training grounds in record time, despite her slow pace. Emerald eyes shifted over the field searching for the familiar forms of her teammates, although she knew that they wouldn't be here for another half and hour or so.

Whatever had possessed her to wake up so early this morning, she didn't know, but Sakura was suddenly glad that she had come here before her teammates.

It was so peaceful.

Walking over to one of the oak trees Sakura sat on it's roots, her back resting against the large trunk. She let out a long breath, then shut her eyes and breathed in the deep, fresh scent of the outdoors, feeling the calm sense of relaxation wash over her. A small smile shifted her lips as she slumped into the grass.

It was so rare for her to get this. A quiet peaceful spot to just sit and relax at. What with her duties at the hospital, training, and her ever expanding stacks of paperwork, and missions, it was quite a treat for her to get time to herself.

A content sigh drifted from her lips as she slowly started to sink into a light slumber, the gentle summer breeze chasing away the heat that had already started to form so early in the morning, and lulling her eyes shut. Everything was silent but the gentle rustle of the dark green leaves above her, and the distant sound of the creek at the edge of the training grounds. Completely peaceful.

Well, almost...

It was just around when she had nearly been into the wonderful land of unconsciousness, that Sakura picked up on the distinct sound of _whizzing _kunai and the _thud_ that soon followed after, suggesting that the sharp projectile had hit a wooden post.

First one, then another, and another, _and _another. It was so persistent that it sounded like a woodpecker.

Sakura cracked up one emerald eye, searching for the offender who was disturbing _her_ peace and quiet.

Two eyes now wide open, the pinkette spotted a form not twenty feet from her. He didn't have to turn for her to know who he was.

Shisui.

He stuck out like a sore thumb with the Uchihas, he was always smiling, or out right up to no good. That was what she had meant when she had labeled him as _different._ Being the way he was wasn't bad, but it wasn't necessarily good either.

Sakura frowned at said man, feeling the threads of grumpiness coursing through her. The young woman crossed petite arms, her eyebrows twitching a little.

She knew this wasn't even her training ground, but come on, really? There were dozens of others just like this one, and everyone knew that Team Seven trained here. Not to mention anyone _with_ eyes could see that she had been resting.

And there was no way he could have missed her presence, he was a ninja, and an _Uchiha_ at that, a member of the best trained Shinobi out there. He had most definitely known she there.

But still, considering Shisui _was_ different from most other Uchiha, Sakura doubted he would deny her the pleasure of getting her secluded spot back. She slowly got to her feet, her steps quickly bringing her over to the happy man.

"Well, good morning sleepyhead." His tone was bright, and she could see the amused smile on his face even though he didn't even turn to look at her.

"Shisui," arms still crossed, Sakura's sweet tone contradicted her demeanor. "Can you please train somewhere else?" she forced her voice to be polite, even syrupy if one had been listening. Shisui's movements halted, and he turned to her, his grin still in place.

"No." he replied, his voice equally polite.

There, she knew he could be reasonable if she asked politely. After all, not _all_ Uchiha's were completely stubborn, prideful, arrogan- wait.

"No?" Sakura repeated incredulously.

"Yep." His tone was cheerful.

Sakura shifted from foot to foot, her temper riling a bit. She knew she had no ground to even have asked him to move to another training area, but seriously, it wouldn't have been so hard.

"Shisui, we _always_ train here." Sakura pointed out, referring to her team.

Shisui turned back to his kunai post with shrug. "I know, but I'll be done by the time they get here."

Sakura's eyebrow twitched. She couldn't believe how much this man could annoy her. The young woman huffed lightly before once again attempting to regain her peaceful spot.

"You don't understand," Sakura said, trying to keep her voice even. "I was trying to _relax_ here." she said it slowly, attempting to get her point across.

Shisui slid her an amused glance, his mouth quirking in another smile. "I could see that. But, seeing as _I'm_ herenow, why don't you find another spot to relax at?"

Sakura growled under her breath, her jaw clenching in aggravation. "_Because," _she hissed through clenched teeth. "by the time I find another spot I'll just have to come right back _here,_ and I'll be late for training by then."

"Oh, well, better luck next time. Seeing as this is an _Uchiha _training ground, and _I'm _an Uchiha, and you're _not,_ you'll just have to find another spot." Shisui said easily, almost as though he was simply saying 'no thank-you' to someone who had offered him a side dish with his order.

Sakura could not believe her ears. And here she had thought that she actually _liked_ him as a friend.

"It would be just as easy for you to find another spot, that way you can train longer too!" The infuriated woman spat, her voice rising a bit. The young man chuckled, slowly shaking his head as he once again turned towards her.

"My, my, Sakura-chan, you persuasion skills need considerable work."

That set her off. Sakura advanced a threatening step forward, his little jibe pricking her temper and pride for no reason in particular. It really shouldn't have bothered her. After all Sakura knew she wasn't one who could sweet talk her way in or out of something.

But what with her temper already flaring, and the fact that someone had outright pointed out that her skills to gain something she wanted from someone else were lacking, made her heat with indignity.

"I'll have you know, _Uchiha,_ that I can persuade anyone into giving me anything at anytime!" The livid woman snapped.

The mischievous gleam in Shisui's eyes should have sent her senses screaming on alert. But she was too angry to even pay attention to what she was saying, let alone discern the signs of an Uchiha trap.

"_Anyone?Anything?Anytime?_" Shisui echoed, his voice interested.

"That's right." Sakura hissed.

The male crossed his arms, putting on a contemplative look.

"I didn't know you were so sensitive about this particular..._skill,_" Shisui mused wickedly. "But, I'm not so sure I believe you, Sakura-chan. After all, you couldn't even persuade me into getting off the training grounds. How about a little test to validate what you've said?"

By now Sakura had calmed down enough to recognize the impish look on his face. She could practically see the gears of trouble making clicking in his head.

But her pride wouldn't let her say what she wanted to say. Wouldn't let her take back the words she had foolishly flung out in her moment of anger, even if she had no idea how his mind could work that fast to ensnare her in the first place.

So, Sakura simply narrowed her eyes, letting him know that she was catching on to the start of his game.

"What sort of test?" the pinkette questioned, suspicion edging her tone.

"Just a little one. We'll make it a bet, how's that? If you bring me...Oh, I don't know, Itachi's dog tags, the ones that he wears around his neck by tomorrow morning, I'll admit that you _can_ persuade anyone to give you anything. I'll even do whatever you want, for say...two months!"

Sakura felt her jaw go slack. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers and she simply stood there, shocked.

Bring him _Uchiha Itachi's_ dog tags!?

There was no way she could do that! But she couldn't give Shisui the satisfaction of knowing that. He would never let her live it down.

Sakura forced her jaw back into place and swallowed uncertainly. Shisui stared at her truimphantly, arms still crossed, obviously knowing that she knew she couldn't get his cousin's tags. The idiot, he had her trapped. And she had no one to blame but herself.

"Anything I want? Even if I send a message to you at three in the morning saying I want you to cook me a seven course meal?" The pinkette questioned, a sly smile creeping over her lips, just to let him know that she intended to milk it if she won this bet, despite the danger of it.

A debating, and perhaps uncertain look flashed across his face before it was once again replaced with a dimpled smile.

"Anything." He confirmed.

"What happens if I lose?" Sakura asked.

Shisui turned his back to her, as though to consider it, although she knew that he had probably already had that planned out.

"Oh, nothing special, the same rules apply to you as they do me, you'll do whatever _I_ tell you, regardless of what it is." The young Uchiha stated easily.

Sakura forced herself not to gulp. Well, this was certainly the prettiest mess she had ever gotten herself into. There was no way she could allow Shisui to have the gratification of seeing her back down. She just couldn't break her pride that way.

But if she lost...Sakura shuddered, she didn't even want to think about it.

"Alright, deal." The young woman agreed before she could change her mind. They shook on it, Shisui looking smug and Sakura mentally slamming her head against a wall.

How on earth was she going to _persuade_ Uchiha Itachi into letting her borrow his dog tags in one night? Or... at all?

_Maybe he'll be understanding_. She silently mused.

_Yeah, fat chance._

_(Insert Page Break Here)_

-_1:00 A.M. The Next Morning-_

Sakura sucked in a fortifying breath, cursing all Uchihas, and the day she had been born. This was crazy.

Madness.

The stupidest thing she had ever agreed to, for certain. And yet, here she was, _Sneaking_ into the Uchiha compound to try and _steal, _Uchiha Itachi's dog tags.

Brilliant.

This probably even topped all the idiotic things Naruto had ever done, put together, and multiplied by three.

If she died during this bet she was coming back and dragging Shisui with her. Because there was no doubt, this was all his fault. Okay, granted, if she hadn't let her pride get in the way of things she wouldn't be here, but he had known what he was doing when he had tricked her into this.

Sneaky Uchiha.

Trying to quell the shakiness in her limbs, Sakura slunk through the shadows of the Uchiha compound, being sure to conceal her chakra.

Thankfully, she had been through Sasuke's house enough times to know exactly where Itachi's room was, and that there was a back door that led from the porch into his room. So, once she got there, locating him wouldn't be a problem.

Yesterday, after her spar with Naruto and Sasuke, Sakura had promptly hightailed it over to the Hokage tower, and had very illegally went through Itachi's files to see if he was even at home, because if he wasn't, that would just make it official that she had the suckiest life out there...

Thankfully, he was due to return that night, which probably meant that he would be tired, which meant that he might sleep heavily. So, points for her.

Sakura had been grinning truimphantly at the reports when Tsunade had walked into the filing room. The blonde Hokage had taken one look at Sakura and had proceeded to yell '_Haruno, you'd better have a good explanation for this!'_

After the most thorough chastising of her life, Sakura had explained, at Tsunade's demand, why she had been snooping in classified files. In which Tsunade had dismissed her and had told her not to fail, actually opting not to punish her, much to Sakura's shock. Letting her off with a _'don't ever do anything __this foolish again' _She had expected worse, like a three months of graveyard shifts, or a broken arm...

So, Sakura had spent the rest of her day developing several possible plans of action, before finally just going for a simple one, that hopefully wouldn't fail.

Step one. Get into the Compound without being caught. Okay, check.

Step two. Get into Itachi's room. Sakura had thought she'd be dead by step one, so maybe she would make it through step two as well. Although she half expected Shisui to alert the Shinobi on watch just for the fun of it.

Step three. Remove the dog tags without Itachi waking up. That most definitely would be harder than it sounded.

Step four. Run like all of hell has broken loose, and hope that no one follows.

Then of course there was Step Five. Flaunt the dog tags in front of Shisui and make the next two months of his life miserable.

Yeah, fairly simple. Not necessarily easy, but simple.

Sakura quickly sighted Sasuke's house, even in the pitch darkness of the night she knew it was his. Glad that the moon was currently covered by thick clouds, the young woman prowled silently around the back.

It took her but mere moments to reach the wooden slated porch that stood about a half a foot off the ground. Slowly, Sakura eased off her shoes leaving only her socks in the hope that it would help to further mute her already silent movements.

Then, she stepped onto the porch. Forcing herself forward, Sakura reached the screen that separated her from life and the man none other than Uchiha Itachi. Before she could back down, she curled her fingers around the screen, and inched it back.

The young woman held her breath as the screen slid back with what seemed all of the quietness of a thunderstorm. She halted it a quarter of the way open, so as to avoid the alarming _'clack'_ that sounded whenever the wood of the screen hit the frame.

Slowly, Sakura slid herself through the gap. It was even darker in the room than it had been outside, and she stood at the threshold a moment, terrified to even move until her eyes adjusted to the gloom.

Gradually, with the aid of chakra in her eyes, Sakura started to make out the darkened shapes of the furniture around the room. Mind centered on task, the pinkette moved almost mechanically, as if she had been carrying out orders on a mission.

Muscles coiling with tension, spine rigid with fear, Sakura shifted through the room, attempting to be as subtle as a gentle breeze drifting through the door. By the time she reached the bed, the young medic had been biting the inside of her cheek so hard that she started to taste to tangy-iron of her own blood.

Sakura halted about a quarter of a foot from the bed. She could just make out his form, but nothing else. Still, she had the general idea of where his neck was, and therefore, the tags.

Sakura gulped. _This is it, no turning back_.

With shaky hands, the terrified medic reached into the the darkness, knowing that only a scant distance separated them.

_What am I doing? What am I doing? What am I doing!_

Miraculously, in a matter of moments her fingertips slid over something cold and metal,_ the tags. _And then her digits hit something smooth and warm underneath the metal. Something that definitely had the hard feel of muscle, it seemed distinctly like-_oh Lord, he sleeps shirtless!_

Sakura scrambled to snatch her hands away, desperate to put some distance between them, bet or no bet. But before she had moved even a fraction of an inch, strong, callused hands shot out and latched firmly around her wrists, yanking her forward so hard that only the presence of her knees hitting the bed frame and mattress had stopped her from tumbling atop him.

The scream that might have erupted from her abruptly stuck in her throat when she felt his warm breath against her ear, making her realize that she was now so scandalously close to him that if she moved just the teeniest bit forward, the small space of air between them would disappear, and their bodies would brush.

"Haruno-san." His formal, yet slightly irked greeting gave off the impression that somehow in this situation, he found none of their proximity unnerving, nor intimidating.

_Well, of course he doesn't find it intimidating, you idiot, he's Uchiha Itachi._ The pinkette mentally chastised.

"U-Uchiha-san." Sakura stammered in greeting. As if pretending that this really wasn't happening would help matters.

She knew he could feel her shaking, but given the circumstances, she really wasn't concerned with what he was feeling. she fidgeted slightly, trying to surreptitiously ease out of his hold, but his grip, though not harsh, was still firm, and prevented her from going anywhere.

The pinkette knew that a surge of chakra could easily get him to let go. But then, attacking the Uchiha prodigy in his own home, or...period, probably wasn't the most sane idea. But was any of what she had done so far sane?

Given the mess she had already formed for herself, and the fact that her actions could only be merited as suicidal, what was one more idiotic thing to the list? Sakura was seriously debating doing it, although she was sure Sasuke would never forgive her if she leveled his house. Not to mention there was still the matter of the dog tags, of which she was sure she could never attain by force.

Ugh, how did she manage to get herself into these kinds of situations? Honestly, was it just her life that sucked? Because she certainly didn't see any other women in life and death situations with two Uchihas.

And no, she wasn't exaggerating.

Itachi could be the death of her, literally. And Shisui could pick apart her life with this bet verbally, mentally, and physically by having her at his beck and call for two months. In which, that just might drive her to desperate, and self harming measures.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Now Sakura was certain that there was a bit of an irritated edge to his tone, although there might have been a smidgen of curiosity as well under that monotone.

The only reason Sakura was even certain that she was picking up these undercurrents from him was because she had been around Uchihas most of her life, and had learned to discern their moods quite well.

Although Sasuke wasn't exactly what you'd call stoic, simply moody. But Sakura had still had enough practice to at least guess what Uchiha Itachi was feeling. Not that it really mattered at the moment.

Sakura stumbled for a reply, her brain working so fast she thought it might have a melt down. _Great Sakura, your plan was so simple you didn't think of 'In case Itachi wakes up and asks you why you're in his room -insert answer here-' Perfect. Great planning, you idiot._

"I, uh, I-I, thought." Unable to form a decent reply, Sakura simply assured her death sentence and sent of surge of chakra through her palms to his.

He released her before her chakra shocked his hands, of course. But it had served it's purpose. Quickly taking advantage of the opportunity, Sakura leapt back, lost her footing, and landed with an ungraceful _thump,_ on her butt.

She sat there a moment, mentally berating her stupidity, for the umpteenth time. Emerald eyes snapped up to the only other soul in the room when she sensed him move. Then she went completely still, immobilized with fear and shock as his eyes bled red.

_He's actually going to attack me!_

Well, she had technically attacked him first, but still, there was no call for that! Quickly shifting to her knees, Sakura was careful to keep her eyes from his.

Knowing that anyone in their right mind would have hightailed it the moment Itachi had woken up, Sakura decided it was time to initiate plan B.

Just flat out asking.

"Please, Uchiha-san, I really need to borrow your dog tags."

She knew that this request was probably something that not even the great Uchiha Itachi had anticipated, although he might have already pieced the together that she needed them from the fact that she had had her fingers clasped around them.

Itachi's Sharingan bright eyes faded, and she thought she might have discerned the faintest trace of his eyebrows raising in surprise, or intrigue.

For a moment, her heart soared with hope. Maybe Itachi was also one of the few Uchihas that didn't need to go jump in a pit. Maybe he could stand somewhere beside the pit.

"I am unaware of any reason that you would need to borrow my tags, Haruno-san."

Scratch that, he definitely was going in the pit.

Sakura scowled up at the man now facing her with the tags in his hands, his knees almost level with her face.

"I _need _them because Shisui and I made a bet! I Told him I could persuade anyone into giving me anything, and if I lose this bet I'm going to end up being his personal servant for two Months!" Sakura snapped irritably, her desperation mounting with every moment.

She knew it was crucial to stay calm, but she just couldn't understand why he wouldn't let her borrow them. Not to mention the fact that anyone who might walk into Itachi's room in this moment might think that she was bowing to him.

How embarrassing, and infuriating.

He said nothing for the longest time, making Sakura all the more apprehensive he was going to send her on her way. She couldn't allow that to happen.

She would _not _lose this bet!

Shoving away every last ounce of her tattered pride, she did what she had never thought she would never have to do to this man.

Beg.

"Please, _Itachi-_san, my life is over if I don't get those tags. I'll bring them back in a few hours." Sakura dropped her voice into a low desperate tone, putting on her best begging face, although she doubted that he could even see her expression in the dark.

She knew that her plead was way over dramatic. But wasn't that what begging was about? And since her other attempts had been killed so quickly, she knew that this was her last chance.

It seemed for the scant moment before Itachi replied, that he might relent, his slight pause seeming almost contemplative.

"That, is not persuading, that is begging, _Sak-ur-a."_

Of course it didn't escape her notice that he also dropped the formality, even taking it a step further by omitting the honorific. And the way that her name had rolled off his tongue had actually made her shiver with the most childish feelings of apprehension and something distinctly like pleasure.

The pinkette swallowed hard, not quite liking the sudden reaction from him saying her name. Geez, it wasn't like she was some schoolgirl. For crying out loud it was just a name, who cares if he says it different than anyone else!

Still, despite this rather unnerving shiver, she also felt her temper start to boil.

"Honestly, I don't care what it is! Why can't I just borrow them for a little while?" Sakura snapped, her voice rising a little more than it should have, giving the danger of perhaps waking the rest of the household, including Sasuke.

The thought of Sasuke's reaction if he ever found out that she had been in his brother's room in the dead of the night was too comical, and frightening to even contemplate. Trying to reel in her temper, Sakura sucked in a deep breath.

_Just stay calm, Stay calm. There's got to be a way to get him to agree..._

"I am by no means, obligated to save you from the consequences of opening your mouth, Haruno-san."

Well, staying calm was abruptly tossed out the window.

"The consequence- _Who do you think you are_!?" Sakura nearly screeched. "I'm not asking you to save me, all I want is the stupid tags!"

"Haruno-san, please refrain from raising your voice, as you can imagine, my family is trying to sleep." His calm, arrogant, reprimand only further ignited her livid fury.

Sakura shot to her feet, fists prepared to knock some sense into his arrogant head, emerald eyes snapping furiously. "Sleeping my a-"

She really had no idea how he could move that fast. But before she could even figure out how it had happened, her back was suddenly pressed against the bed, and firm hands once again shackled her wrists, effectively pinning her.

"May I point out Haruno-san, that attacking and yelling at me, will never get you what you want." his amused voice sent her body shaking with fury.

"Get. Off. Me. _Uchiha." _Sakura ground out, her jade eyes practically spitting fire.

"Only if you refrain from doing such things again, they really can get you into trouble, _Sakura-san._" Itachi said smoothly, his mouth close to her ear.

Growling under her breath, Sakura nodded stiffly, hating the fact that he had immobilized her so quickly. And that she had this squeamish feeling in her stomach at that particular moment.

Slowly, he let her up, but even as his weight left her, Sakura was still surrounded by his masculine scent. Not exactly comfortable with the fact that she found his fresh, masculine smell, which mingled with the scents of the forest and possibly the metallic tang of blood from his missions, appealing, Sakura breathed through her mouth to avoid that aggravating fact.

He didn't move off the bed, and Sakura simply sat up, determined not to leave until she got what she had come for. She brushed away imaginary wrinkles from her attire, driven to seem as unaffected as she could by that little scenario.

There _had_ to be a way. After all, there was always a way to everything. Although Sakura wasn't sure what it was that could get Itachi to let her take his tags.

They sat in silence for a long while, Itachi watching her so closely that it was unsettling as Sakura mulled over her next plan of action. She hadn't come this far to fail. Failing was not an option. It was just that simple.

Thin brows furrowing in concentration, Sakura bit her lip, pulling together all the information of Uchihas that she had stored in her brain, sure that at least one little detail could help her out.

Then, it hit her, an epiphany that might just work. Although she didn't put too much stock into it, it was still worth a try.

"What if-what if we make a deal?" Sakura blurted.

The Uchiha raised a brow, his eyes now holding a vaguely amused light that she could discern, even in the dark. When he continued to hold his silence, Sakura took it as a sign to press on.

"Your elders are... urging you to marry, right?" the pinkette asked, uncertainty edging her tone.

"Indeed, they are." Although his voice held no emotion, Sakura could tell that she at least had his attention.

Not even believing she was about to say this, Sakura took a deep breath and trudged on before she lost her nerve.

"What if I posed as your girlfriend for a while, just to appease them for a time, and in return you let me borrow the tags?" the young medic hurried to say.

The most unnerving silence once again reigned in the room, making the pinkette believe that her last, and final attempt had been shot down without even any consideration on his part.

Then he spoke.

"I am hardly pressed to have to put on a pretense in order to gain peace for a time, Haruno-san." his almost rebuking reply made her want to slap him, and once again yell.

But the events of just a few minuets ago, and the fact that it looked as though he would say more, halted her from once again acting on her foolish emotions. Those emotions being what had gotten her in this situation in the first place.

"However, your point is valid, and though I do not _need_ to deceive my elders to attain a time of respite from their...prodding of me to find a wife, I agree to your proposition."

Sakura could not believe her ears. She had done it.

She had won the bet!

The pinkette was still mute with the shock of it when the Uchiha handed her the tags.

She _was _capable of persuasion.

Okay, so she was capable of striking a compromise, but it was the same thing really, sort of...

Sakura felt the excited giddiness coursing through her at the thought of Shisui's face when she showed him the tags.

This was going to be priceless!

She couldn't wait to rib him, and send him on the most manual tasks ever! She was practically screaming with victory inside.

So caught up in her thoughts was she, that the young woman didn't even notice when Itachi got off the bed, obviously expecting her to do the same.

"I suggest you get some sleep now, Haruno-san." The Uchiha's smooth voice snapped her out of her musings, and the pinkette jumped in surprise.

"Oh...right." For the first time, Sakura realized that Itachi must be tired. He had, after all, just come back from a three week mission in The Hidden Village of Mist.

Sakura shifted off the bed, albeit guilty for disturbing his rest.

"I'll assume that you will start your...enactment tomorrow, Haruno-san." Itachi said as Sakura stood to her full height.

He was standing so close to the bed, that when she finally had gained her full footing, they were only a few inches apart. If the sudden realization of what she had just agreed to hadn't hit her just then, Sakura would have blushed like a schoolgirl from the fact that she could once again smell his clean, masculine scent and the fact that she could practically soak in the body heat emanating off of him.

_If_ she hadn't just realized what she had done.

A hard sense of foreboding suddenly shot through her. And had Sakura not wanted to keep an unconcerned face she would have swore right then and there. For she had once again stepped, most unwittingly, into a mess of her own doing.

She had gone from almost being the slave of a mischievous wood Spite (Shisui) to the girlfriend of the devil himself. How _did _she manage to do this kind of stuff?

She, _Haruno Sakura_, known for her exemplary intelligence, had just dug her own grave.

And even as she headed straight home, the tags thumping victoriously against her breasts as she leapt, Sakura was cursing her lack of self-control, temper, and all Uchihas once again.

She knew for certain then, that she had the worst life in the world.

(Insert page break here)

It was 5:22 A.M. When Sakura reached their training spot. Shisui had told her to meet him at five thirty, because then it would have been exactly twenty-four hours since they had struck their bet.

Sakura couldn't help the grin that peeled back her lips when she spotted the elder Uchiha sitting casually with his back resting against a tree, his ebony-trademark Uchiha hair stirring in the slight breeze. She intended to soak up this win, even if she had lost to another Uchiha in the process.

Her steps nearly faltered when she saw who else was there.

Sasuke and Naruto.

They were going to have a heart attack when they saw what she was wearing. And they _would_ see because Sakura had purposefully worn a tank top so that Shisui wouldn't be able to miss the silver and black tags around her neck.

Still, what with her '_dating' _Itachi now, Sakura was sure that this would be as graceful a let down as any. Although she had hoped to save her ears from Naruto's screaming for another day or two.

They had noticed her far before she had reached them, and of course three pairs of eyes were all trained in the general area of her chest, wide with shock. If it hadn't been for the tags, they all would have been knocked unconscious by now.

Sakura halted a few feet from them. No one spoke. Shisui's face had blanched white, Sasuke looked like he was going to wrench up his breakfast, and Naruto's blue eyes widened into uncontainable shock and confusion. For once it seemed that loudmouth blonde was speechless

The young medic crossed her arms, scowling at Sasuke's cousin. "Shisui, what are they doing here?"

Sakura's irritated voice seemed to cut a grin from him. The Uchiha tore his eyes away from the tags, his look somewhat victorious, although she didn't understand why.

"I wanted them to witness you doing my first order." Shisui said mischievously. Sakura mentally shuddered. She could only imagine what that might have been.

The pinkette smirked, clasping the tags around her neck and jingling them truimphantly. "More like, _My_ first order." she corrected.

Sakura wasn't sure why Shisui was still grinning, and she didn't think she wanted to know.

"So I see," he acknowledged. "Alright, fair enough, you win, and Sakura Haruno _can persuade_ anyone into doing anything at anytime." His voice rose as he announced her victory.

Ah, it felt good to win.

"Although," Shisui's voice dropped suggestively as he stepped forward and he lowered his head to her ear. "I am curious to know _how_ you managed to persuade Itachi into letting you have them."

Sakura's face flamed, her throat suddenly gone dry. "That," she croaked. "Is between him and I."

At this Sasuke, who had been watching with curious probing eyes, promptly went as white as a sheet, and Naruto screamed, '_Teme, what did your sadistic brother do to our Sakura-chan!_'

Shisui laughed, watching with highly amused eyes as Sasuke moodily told Naruto to shut up and turned to Sakura.

"Why are you wearing Itachi's tags, Sakura, and what did he do to you?" Sasuke's voice was low, almost threatening to her ears.

Before she could speak, Shisui piped in. "I wouldn't be asking what Itachi did to her, but what our dear little Sakura-chan _did_ to him!"

At this Sakura promptly flamed red again, this time however, not from embarrassment.

"Shisui-san," Sakura intoned sweetly, cracking her knuckles rather loudly. "If you don't want to lose a most valuable part of your body, I suggest you go cook that seven course meal."

_(Insert Page Break Here)_

_**A/N: **Whew, fifteen pages! 6317 words! _

_I realize that the characters are probably OOC, but I did my best to capture them. It was my first time writing Shisui, so I had a lot of fun picturing his reactions and what not._

_I know that Kakashi wasn't included as a 'Team Seven' member in this, and that really was not my intention. In this story he is still the Team Seven captain, but he rarely comes to train with them, so I didn't feel that I should needlessly insert him into the story. Not to mention Naruto and Sasuke's parts were miniscule as well, and I think that simply having another idle character at the end would have been pointless. So, that's my reason for our favorite silver-haired ninja not being in this particular fic._

_As always, I gladly accept constructive criticism and all that jazz. I've already got a sequel for this planned out and ready to write. (obviously it's about what goes on while Sakura poses as Itachi's girlfriend) But the reaction from you guys is what's going to determine whether or not I post it._

_Like I said before, this was basically for my own enjoyment and I figured that if you like my writing at all, you could enjoy it as well._

_Thanks for reading!_

_Lost in corde meo._


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